Ross has made enough of a name for himself scorching celebrities on the
network's roast specials, earning (or giving himself) the nickname
"Roast Master General," given he typically delivers the most memorable
material each time.

But maybe you've still never heard of it. Jeffrey Ross doesn't ring a
bell with mainstream America, even if he appeared on the seventh season
of "Dancing with the Stars." Remember, he was the one who scratched his
cornea and got voted off first. Ouch.

Lately, the stand-up comedian had an itchy trigger finger with shock
schtick, dressing up as the late Joe Paterno (complete with shirtless
Penn State kids with towels around their waists) at the "Comedy Central
Roast of Roseanne." You know, because enough time has elapsed to where
it's OK to crack about that whole child molestation scandal. Funny
stuff.

Still, Ross didn't stop with that site gag. No, he thought he'd best the other comedians (aside from that mighty satirist Dane Cook)
to the punch and joke about the Aurora, Colo., shooting in which 12
people were killed and 58 wounded after a gunman walked into a midnight
screening of "The Dark Knight Rises" and opened fire.

EW.com reports
once Ross took the New York Friars Club stage, he set his sites on Seth
Green, because he has red hair as did the accused gunman James Holmes, I
guess. Ross said, "Congratulations. This is actually a really big night
for you. You haven’t gotten this much attention since you shot all those
people in Aurora.”

Shocking. Funny. Right?

He didn't stop. After some groaning and nervous laughter from the
usually lenient audience, Ross said to Green, "I’m kidding! You’re not
like James Holmes. At least he’s doing something in a movie theater that
people remember."

Boos followed.

Most, if not all, comedians at Ross' level will tell you that any
subject is fair game for a good joke, no matter how tragic. But when
does "too soon" come into play? Roastee Roseanne Barr wasn't amused. She told reporters Ross crossed the line, but that comedy was
about "moving the line."

The joke was reportedly cut from the broadcast, which will air on Sunday at 9 p.m. on Comedy Central.

So when is too soon? When did it become OK to joke about the Sept. 11
terrorist attacks? Jerry Sandusky? Columbine? Are modern satirists and comedians
predominantly in the wrong for taking stabs at child molestation,
abortion, poverty, war etc.? As an audience, what do we truly consider
"out of bounds," and what time limit have we set on certain subjects?

Are we so hardened that we simply expect it and laugh just because it's coming anyway?

In Ross' case, he's got a television show to promote. So he needs
attention. Too bad Dane Cook already beat him to it. Perhaps these
"shock" comedians feel compelled to say things because they think what
they are saying is what others are too afraid to say.

I like Jeffrey Ross. He's a funny guy. He kills at those roasts, more
than any of his peers. And I personally think most topics are in-bounds. If we can't laugh, what can we do? And why does time
passing make something any less of a tragedy? Ross and others are
entitled to their First Amendment rights like anybody else. They can do
it, and they can even convince us it's funny with the right delivery.